1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of portable devices such as personal digital assistants or palmtop computer systems. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to the recognition and correction of displayed text.
2. Related Art
As the components required to build a computer system have reduced in size, new categories of electronic devices and computer systems have emerged. One of the new categories of computer systems is the “palmtop” computer system. A palmtop computer system is a computer that is small enough to be held in the hand of a user and can therefore be “palm-sized.” Most palmtop computer systems are used to implement various Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as an address book, a daily organizer (calendar, date book, etc.) and electronic notepads, to name a few. Palmtop computers with PIM software have been known as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Many PDAs have a small and flat display screen associated therewith.
User convenience and device value are very important factors for portable electronic devices. Typically, portable electronic devices are employed while the user is on the run, e.g., in business meetings, on business travel, personal travel, in a vehicle, on foot, etc. Because the user may be occupied or busy while using the portable electronic device, the number of user steps or user tasks required in order to access information from an electronic device (or to store information into the electronic device) is crucial for producing a commercially successful and useful product. That is, the more difficult it is to access data from an electronic device, the less likely the user will perform those tasks to obtain the information. Likewise, the easier information is to obtain, the more likely the portable electronic device will be used to obtain that information and the more likely the portable electronic device will become a part of the user's everyday activities.
Similarly, the more difficult it is to enter data into an electronic device, the less likely the user will perform those tasks required to communicate information. The easier it is to input information, the more likely the portable electronic device will be used to communicate that information and the more likely the portable electronic device will become a part of the user's everyday activities. A stylus is frequently utilized in an on-screen handwriting system to enter data into a PDA. An important aspect of this operation is the ease with which the user can alter or correct such written information. The current state of the art is to move a visual selection tool or cursor around the screen and edit via the same mechanism that was used to enter the original text or data, however, extra strokes or entry actions are required to perform character deletions, etc.
The ability to modify information displayed on a touch-sensitive display screen, such as spelling errors or perhaps inaccurate numerical data, is an important function. Since the characters used to display information on the screen are relatively small, the spacing between characters is also quite small. This adds to the difficulty of locating, identifying and correcting a single character or groups of characters displayed on a display screen. One conventional method for allowing a user to correct mistakes requires that entire words be corrected at once. In effect, the user is required to identify a larger segment of information (for example a complete word) that is then displayed in magnified form for correction on the screen. However, there are many instances were only one character may be mistaken in a large word. It is very inconvenient to require a user to re-enter an entire word if just one character is mistaken.
Other correction techniques require that the user position a visual correction tool, e.g., a cursor, near the character to be corrected. The difficulty with the conventional correction methods involves the amount of time and effort required. For instance, to correct one mistake may require three to four separate actions, often in three disparate areas of the screen or device. For example, the user needs to position the cursor, perform a delete, reenter the new character, and then reposition at a last location. Therefore, existing systems and methods for accomplishing text correction are generally multiple step operations, and they generally are limited to altering only one character at a time. What is needed is a mechanism and method for allowing a user to easily make corrections with respect to displayed text without requiring the number of steps required of the cursor approach described above.